NEW DIGS AT DEMPSEY

DIM SUM DELIGHTS

After 12 years at One North in Rochester Park, Cantonese restaurant Min Jiang has relocated to this more verdant location. Embodying the same aesthetic spirit, the 5,000 sq ft, 160-seater features a spacious and airy main dining room with plenty of wood and rattan detailing. Min Jiang at Dempsey’s food, of course, remains the purview of master chef Goh Chee Kong, who has curated a series of new dishes for the menu. Highlights include a Chinese painting-like steamed goldfishshaped prawn dumpling that arrives “swimming” in an egg white sauce, and moreish typhoon shelter-style deep fried squid rings and soft shell crab. There is also steamed chicken with kailan covered in a glossy sauce made from superior stock and served with ginger paste. If anything is indicative of Goh’s attention to detail, it is this dish where only a fowl of a precise weight is used to give the meat that perfect balance between texture and flavour. 7A/B Dempsey Road. Tel: 6774-0122 

RICH & SUCCULENT

02 FRUITS OF THE OCEAN

Mouth-watering chicken in a spicy peanutbased sauce that’s served cold.

REFINED CHINESE AT JEWEL

Conceptualised as a three-inone spin-off of Shangri-la Hotel Singapore’s Shang Palace, Shang Social has a formal dining space, a casual market-cum-eatery, and a bar. The restaurant showcases Cantonese, Sichuan, and Huaiyang cuisines prepared by teams helmed by three master chefs: Mok Kit Keung (who also heads Shang Palace at the hotel), Joe Hou, and Rick Du. Specialities range from a show-stopping Cantonese deep-fried whole boneless chicken filled with glutinous rice to  the Huaiyang “Jiangnan Wok” braised black marbled pork, and a mouthwatering chicken in a spicy Sichuan peanut-based sauce that’s served cold. For this dish, the chef uses a mature fowl to get a more robust flavour that stands up to all the aromatics.  Jewel Changi Airport, 78 Airport Boulevard,  #01219/220/221/222. Tel: 6346-0260

YAKITORI SPECIALS

Bincho at Min Jiang, the offshoot of Bincho at Hua Bee in Tiong Bahru, has a secluded entrance via a black door with frosted glass panels behind Min Jiang at Dempsey. Inside, this yakitori-ya’s furnishings are copper-hued and there is a vaulted ceiling. Besides the same yakitori selection found in Tiong Bahru, it serves a selection of luxurious offerings and seasonal specials exclusive to Bincho at Min Jiang. Highlights include an indulgent uni shabu shabu, an Osaka dish featuring a dashi-based sea urchin broth to dunk a selection of seafood and vegetables in. There’s also a Japanese-inspired drinks programme featuring rare Japanese whiskies, an extensive collection of sake, and cocktails starring ingredients like yuzu and nori. 7A/B Dempsey Road, Tel: 6972-7328

BISTRO WITH BENEFITS

Fine-foods importer Culina’s new digs in Dempsey Hill occupies 15,000 sq ft and features an expanded bistro, a wine bar, and even more speciality produce. The bistro’s menu is an appealing, familiar mix of European dishes that run from a selection of pastas, salads, and sandwiches to large plates featuring duck confit, Petuna ocean trout with green beans and beluga black lentils, as well as a bouillabaisse of seasonal seafood poached in tomato stew. But more than just eating here, you will want to take a gander at the groceries section that is a veritable foodie’s playground with beautifully displayed produce like Black Onyx grain-fed Angus beef and glistening seafood. What’s more, you can have anything found in this section professionally prepared so its provenance shines as part of your meal at the bistro. 15 Dempsey Road. Tel: 6474-7338 

TEXT WEETS GOH